Notable Marys in Nature: Mary Lee the Great White Shark

AWWWW YEEEAAH:

Great white shark Mary Lee tracked near Chincoteague

"A 3,456-pound female great white shark named Mary Lee is celebrating Cinco de Mayo near the Maryland-Virginia line.
"Here are a few quick facts about Mary Lee from OCEARCH, a non-profit group that researches great white sharks and other large apex predators.

•Mary Lee was tagged with a tracker off Cape Cod Sept. 17, 2012.
•She is 16 feet long.
•In the past 24 hours, she has traveled 82.5 miles off the coast of Delmarva.
•In the past 72 hours, she has traveled 165.5 miles.
•Since she was tagged in 2012, she has traveled 19,365 miles from Florida to Nova Scotia.
•She was named after a researcher's mother, after he described the shark as 'Truly the most historic and legendary fish I have ever been a part of.'"

More at:  http://www.13newsnow.com/story/news/local/virginia/eastern-shore/2015/05/05/great-white-shark-mary-lee-tracked-near-chincoteague/26921479/

Setting aside the odd hilarity of that final quote for the moment, I think we can all agree that this is welcome news from the world of nature. All hail massive sharks named Mary!

And...she's following me! (Okay, okay--she's following me on Twitter. But still!)

Notable Marys in Business: Mary Barra

Ladies and gentlemarys, I give you:

GM's New Top Car Guy Is Named Mary Barra

Notable Marys in Art: Mary Cassatt

Hey, Wikipedia! Who's this Mary Cassatt I've been hearing about in all the coolest art circles?

"Mary Stevenson Cassatt was an American painter and printmaker. She lived much of her adult life in France, where she first befriended Edgar Degas and later exhibited among the Impressionists. Cassatt often created images of the social and private lives of women, with particular emphasis on the intimate bonds between mothers and children.

"She was described by Gustave Geffroy in 1894 as one of 'les trois grandes dames' of Impressionism alongside Marie Bracquemond and Berthe Morisot."

Self-portrait by Mary Cassatt, c. 1878, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Notable Marys in Song: "Proud Mary"

The song "Proud Mary" is such an integral part of modern-day music, it's hard to know what to say about it! Written by John Fogerty and first recorded by Creedence Clearwater Revival for release in late 1968 or early 1969 (probably the latter), it has been covered numerous times, most notably by this woman who now owns it in all but the legal sense:

(If you're impatient to hear music, click here to skip the 2min intro: http://youtu.be/UJGoNeM3WzY?t=2m4s)



For more information on this fine song, consider visiting its Wikipedia page for lots of good jumping-off points.

Notable Marys in Song: "Mary, Mary"

Michael Nesmith wrote "Mary, Mary" early in his musical career, before joining the Monkees. The song was first recorded by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band in 1966.

Screen Gems purchased the rights to Nesmith's songs so they could be used in the television show, and the Monkees' version of the song was recorded in 1966 and released in 1967. It appeared in five episodes of the series.

There are hints that other bands recorded the song, and certainly cover versions were probably performed live by any number of musicians, but the next notable appearance of the song in collective pop culture was the version done by Run-D.M.C in 1988.

I'm not the only person who has sensed a slightly stalker-y tone to the lyrics (mainly in the Monkees' version -- is it something about Micky Dolenz's delivery?), but anecdotally Nesmith is reported to have said it's just about teenage love, nothing to do with a stalker.

"Mary, Mary" by Paul Butterfield Blues Band (1966)


"Mary, Mary" by The Monkees (1967)
[EDIT: Click on this link to see/hear the clip: http://youtu.be/p6jVxks8M4A
I'm keeping the embed because I think it helps the page look good... well, it makes it look how I originally wanted it to look, at any rate. Sigh.]


"Mary, Mary" by Run-D.M.C. (1988)


Sources:
Mary, Mary (song) - Wikipedia
Michael Nesmith - Wikipedia
Mary Mary - songfacts.com

Notable Marys in Music: Moya Brennan

Five days to IMAD!

Today's honoree might not be the first person who comes to mind if you aren't familiar with Celtic music, but if you are, then 'Moya Brennan' was probably the guess that was on the tip of your tongue. Moya was born Máire Ní Bhraonáin in Gweedore, County Donegal (Gaoth Dobhair, Contae Dún na nGall) and is a singer/songwriter (and harpist) who is best known as the 'Voice of Clannad.' U2's Bono once said, "I think Moya has one of the greatest voices the human ear has ever experienced."

You may be more familiar with her sister, Enya (Eithne Ní Bhraonáin).

(And, if I'm remembering correctly, Moya is the one who once shared an anecdote about new parents greeting her backstage and proudly announcing that they loved her music so much they'd named their daughter after her: Ní, her 'middle name.' Ms. Brennan was too stunned at that moment to point out that 'Ní' is just the feminine equivalent of 'Mac.' Her real middle name is Philomena. BUT, I could have this totally misremembered, this may have happened to some other X Ní Y in the Irish music biz.)

Moya Brennan Official Site
Moya Brennan on Wikipedia

Notable Marys in Television: Mary Richards ("Mary Tyler Moore Show")

Seven days to IMAD!

This one should be a no-brainer, folks. Who can turn the world on with her smile? Mary Richards! Played by Mary Tyler Moore! Set in Minneapolis!

I could labor for hours and not say it as well as these two sites do. And I am not being lazy.

Mary Richards (Wikipedia)
The Mary Tyler Moore Show (Museum of Broadcast Communications)

You're welcome, rest of the world.

Notable Marys in Politics: Mary I of England

Okay, maybe "politics" isn't quite the right word to sum up her legacy, but Mary I was the first woman to successfully claim the throne of England (reign: 19 July 1553 – 17 November 1558), and that's gotta be worth something. Personally I think she also deserves special credit for growing up with Henry VIII for a dad and not running screaming for the hills at the first opportunity.

There was, we understand, some unpleasantness regarding religious policy, but we'll leave that to your further reading at Wikipedia. (Reportedly she was a precocious child!)

Notable Marys in Business: Mary Kay Ash

You may not recognize her immediately by her full name, but Mary Kay Ash (May 12, 1918 - November 22, 2001) and her business pursuits certainly made an impact on popular culture. Whatever you might think of the products...she founded freakin' Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc.!

Notable Marys in the Movies: Mary Embrey ("Hancock," 2008)

Why is Mary Embrey of the 2008 film Hancock a notable Mary? She, um...gosh, how to describe her without giving out a lot of spoilers? Well, she's strong, she's not afraid to stand up to bullies and/or superheroes, and as her husband finds out she pretty much exemplifies the old saw "still waters run deep."

(Also, it was refreshing to see someone who obviously understood that just because you've got a "soul mate" or whatever you want to call it to whom you're drawn to live a tumultuous life with, you can choose instead to live a happy, loving, peaceful, fulfilled life with somebody else.)

Can't quite remember the movie? I've linked to IMDb above, or go to Sony Pictures' site to see clips.